The Bright Era
by Kitte-Wolf
Summary: In an ancient age, when five Clans roamed the Forest, a great cat rose up, determined to bring down the Clans. Together, all the Clans rose to fight them, defend the warrior's code, and to ultimately break it for the sake of survival. T for Warriors.
1. Prologue

**RiverClan**

Leader- Stormstar, dark grey tom w/blue eyes  
Deputy- Dewfern, light silver shecat with dapples and green eyes  
Medicine cat- Thundercrash, a dark grey tom with ginger patches and a white spot on his forehead. Amber eyes  
Med cat apprentice- Dawnheart, a pretty cream colored shecat with green eyes and a lighter underbelly, blue eyes  
Warriors, seniors first  
Strikinglightning, a dark grey tom with white streaks on his head and body, yellow eyes  
Blazingsky, a white shecat with golden patches and yellow eyes  
Sparkingtalon, a light grey tom with ginger paws and blue eyes  
Tornpelt, a ragged black shecat with a scar over one eye and the other eye blinded, amber eyes  
Swiftrunner, a white shecat with black streaks on her legs and green eyes  
Flamescar, a light grey tom with a permanently missing patch of fur on his shoulder and amber eyes  
Lionroar, a golden tom with golden eyes and a black ring of fur around his neck  
Apprentices, oldest to youngest  
Kinkedpaw, a light grey shecat with a kink in her tail and bright green eyes Mentor-Swiftrunner  
Shinepaw, a white shecat with light green eyes Mentor- Dewfern  
Queens  
Mysteryflame, a light grey tabby shecat with green eyes Mate: Sparkingtalon Kits: Ripplekit, Russetkit, Reflectionkit, Risingkit  
Thorneye, a white shecat with one amber eye, former loner. Mate: Unknown Kits: Ravagekit, Tigerkit, Polarkit  
Kits  
Ripplekit, a silver shekit with white paws and green eyes  
Russetkit, a russet shekit with amber eyes  
Reflectionkit, a silver tom with white rings around his blue eyes  
Risingkit, a white shekit with yellow eyes  
Ravagekit, a brown tom with blue eyes  
Tigerkit, a ginger shekit striped with black like a tiger and amber eyes  
Polarkit, a black and white shekit with blue eyes  
Elders  
Burningstream, a dark ginger tom with green eyes

**ShadowClan**  
Leader- Frogstar, a dark grey shecat with black paws and tailtip, amber eyes  
Deputy- Heatherwhisp, a brown shecat with black paws and amber eyes  
Medicine cat- Smokespiral, a dark brown tom with grey swirls and amber eyes  
Med cat apprentice- Mistpaw, a black tom with yellow eyes  
Warriors  
Marshblaze, a dull yellow tom with black points and amber eyes  
Darkflit, a black shecat with green eyes, Frogstar's sister  
Snakehiss, a dark grey shecat with a ragged pelt and narrow yellow eyes, Frogstar's sister  
Crowcall, a black tom with yellow eyes, Frogstar's brother  
Apprentices  
Snagpaw, a light brown, with yellow eyes Mentor: Marshblaze  
Queens  
Ravenheart, a black shecat with amber eyes, expecting Crowcall's kits

**WindClan**  
Leader- Sedgestar, a light brown tom with green eyes  
Deputy- Pebbleroll, a grey tom with darker dappling s and silver eyes  
Medicine cat- Junipereyes, a grey tom with purple eyes  
Warriors  
Cragjut, a brown tom with jagged black patterns and brown eyes  
Deadtalon, a grey tom with brown paws and yellow eyes  
Moorwind, a light grey tabby shecat with blue eyes  
Breezyswift, a white shecat with black stripes and green eyes  
Willowleaf, a silver shecat with willow green eyes and black patterns looking like willowleaves  
Silverrose, a silver shecat with delicate ears and almond shaped blue eyes  
Strongheart, a heavily built grey tom with yellow eyes  
Apprentices  
Wolfpaw, a black tom with green eyes Mentor- Pebbleroll  
Howlingpaw, a silver shecat with blue eyes Mentor- Cragjut  
Halfpaw, a black and white tom with brown eyes Mentor- Moorwind  
Twopaw, a black and white shecat with blue eyes Mentor- Strongheart  
Queens  
Brightface, a black shecat with a white muzzle and green eyes Mate: Sedgestar Kits: Rollingkit, Breezekit  
Dancingbreeze, a silver shecat with white paws and blue eyes Expecting Stronheart's kits  
Kits  
Rollingkit, a light grey tom with blue eyes  
Breezekit, a white shecat with amber eyes

**SkyClan**  
Leader- Serenitystar, an elderly silver shecat with green eyes  
Deputy- Fadefur, a grey tom with paws that fade to white and blue eyes  
Medicine Cat- Dartbird, a slim grey tabbytom with blue eyes  
Warriors  
Eclipsemoon, a black and white shecat with yellow eyes  
Acorndrop, a brown tom with a white underbelly and blue eyes  
Fogwhisper, a silver shecat with light blue eyes  
Ashenleaf, a grey and white shecat with green eyes  
Bloodclaw, a crimson and black tom with green eyes  
Hawknose, a brown tabby tom with a scar over his nose and blue eyes  
Mossstream, a silver tom with moss green eyes  
Apprentices  
Brightpaw, a white shecat with amber eyes Mentor- Fogwhisper  
Queens  
Breathwhisper, a light silver shecat with amber eyes Mate: Hawknose Kits: Squirrelkit, Brackenkit, Mothkit  
Kits  
Squirrelkit, a brown tabby shecat with a bushe ginger tail and amber eyes  
Brackenkit, a grey tom with green eyes  
Mothkit, a grey shekit with blue eyes

**ThunderClan**  
Leader- Tawnystar, a tawny shecat with green eyes  
Deputy- Blueeye, a blue-grey tom with blue eyes  
Medicine cat- Larkwing, a fawn shecat with white dapples and green eyes  
Warriors  
Smokestorm, a cloudy grey tom with dark blue eyes  
Morningsong, a golden shecat with white patches and sky blue eyes  
Twinklestorm, a silver shecat with bright green eyes  
Twistingvine, a light grey shecat with brown stripes and brown eyes  
Freeflame, a dark grey tom with white flame patterns on paws and yellow eyes  
Apprentices  
Fernpaw, a light grey shecat with blue eyes Mentor-Blueeye  
Tanglepaw, a brown tabbytom with green eyes Mentor- Twinklestorm  
Brokenpaw, a black shecat with yellow eyes and a twisted foreleg Mentor-Smokestorm  
Queens  
Sunrunner, a golden shecat with brown eyes and ginger patches Mate: Freeflame Kits: Stumblekit, Thornkit, Darkkit  
Breezetwig, a light brown shecat with blue eyes Mate: Smokestorm Kits: Yowlkit, Windykit  
Kits  
Stumblekit, a brown tabby tom with a long tail he's always tripping over and green eyes  
Thornkit, a dark ginger shekit with jagged black markings and blue eyes  
Darkkit, a black tom with blue eyes  
Yowlkit, a white shekit with blue eyes  
Windykit, a brown shekit with jagged ginger patches and blue eyes  
Elders  
Firetalon, a ginger shecat with green eyes, ancient ancestor of Sandstorm  
Tornwing, a dark ginger tom with brown eyes, ancient ancestor of Sandstorm

**Cats outside the Clans**  
Rye, a light yellow tom living near WindClan, loner with green eyes  
Wheat, a white shecat living near WindClan, loner with brown eyes  
Barley, a black and white tom living near WindClan, loner with brown eyes  
Cornstalk, a brown tabby shekit with blue eyes, loner near WindClan

**'God always gives His best to those who leave the choice with Him'**

**Jim Elliot**

A silver she-cat sat in a starry clearing. Her bright blue eyes surveyed the scene in the pond before her: four cats sat in a row- one silver she-cat, one silver tom, one white she-cat, and one russet she-cat. They were her cats, all of them belonging to the rippling, rushing, sheet of molten moonlight those that still walked in the Forest called the River. But not for long- one to be claimed by the trees that cats of the Thunder call home, and one to be claimed by the Wind rushing over the wide open moor.

And for that, she grieved. While the trees would eventually fall, the moor would eventually wear down into rubble, the River would always remain.

"You seem troubled," a deep voice rumbled from next to the she-cat.

"Indeed I am. For so many moons, this battle has loomed above the Forest like a pregnant storm preparing to release rain on those who walk beneath it. So yes, I am troubled," the silver replied, voice rippling like a pond in a rainstorm.

"All will be well, my sister," a voice as smooth as the shadows that hugged the pines sounded from the silver's other side. "Your Clan is not the only one facing trouble. We all know that not every cat will survive this coming winter. Mine is facing hardships enough already. Barely the end of Greenleaf, and yet they are stricken by greencough. But we must have faith in the Moon. She has not led us astray ever before."

"That is correct," the deep voice of the ginger tom next to the silver rolled like thunder. "We must not lose our faith in our Mother Moon. She fashioned us from stars and dewdrops. She watches out for us; she must."

"If that is the case, then why am I receiving visions that my Clan will die?" A new voice, a mellow tenor, sound, belonging to a lithe brown tom.

"You are not the only one, my brother," an alto sounded as a white she-cat with yellow eyes stepped into the clearing. "River, what do the Shifting Stones say?"

"They foretell a great disturbance- the darkest night in the history of the Clans, with the most devastating storm to follow. But, you know what they say. It is always darkest before the dawn," the silver, now identified as River, dictated. "At it all revolves around these four."

"Why yours?" The black she-cat hissed. "How are they so important? Why not mine?"

"They are not all mine, either," River hissed back. "One is Thunder's, another is Wind's."

The brown and ginger toms took this in, looking at each other, wondering who drew the short straw. Wondering whose Clan would bring down the others.

"Very well," the black she-cat sniffed. "Now, I must make contact with Smokespiral. Tonight is the half-moon."

"Indeed, I must go as well," the brown tom murmured. "Junipereyes is asking my guidance in choosing an apprentice."

"It's been nice, but I'm afraid I need to take my leave of here too. Dartbird is waiting," the white she-cat left, following the brown and the black.

"Thunder, are you leaving yet?" River asked the ginger tom –now known to be Thunder- eyes hiding an unknown emotion.

"Nay, my love. The night is not yet old- I am certain Larkwing and Thundercrash can wait," Thunder whispered back, licking his mate's ears.

And so the River and the Thunder were in perfect harmony once more- just as a RiverClan queen by the name of Mysteryflame gave birth to four kits- one russet she-cat, one silver tom, one white she-cat, and one silver she-cat.

Wind was the only one watching that night, as he laid his claim. The silver she-cat, with her tiny white paws and still scrunched-closed eyes, squeaked in acceptance as a small kit-sized breeze played across her fur.

A black WindClan apprentice fell in the river. And the Wind replaced his claim on him, strengthening the river's call for the black one and the wind's call for the silver one until they finally found what they were looking for.

A darkness watched with jealousy, laying its own claim on one of the kits.

A storm is coming.

Let this be a warning- kits of Thunder and River were never supposed to happen.

**Well I hope you enjoy. Also introduces the overall theme of the series- 'It's always darkest before the dawn'. You'll find that coming into play throughout the series.**


	2. Chapter 1

**I don't own Warriors. If I did, I would have made Firestar a little less Gary Stu-ish.**

_'We can't help everyone, but everyone can help someone'_

_Ronald Reagan_

A light grey tabby she-cat purred as she washed her kits, starting with the dirtiest- a white she-cat named Risingkit. The yellow-eyed kit purred back at her mother as she was being washed. Her littermates were play-fighting in a corner, the blue-eyed silver tom named Reflectionkit winning because he was the biggest. The russet she-cat was coming in a close second, with the green-eyed silver Ripplekit hiding behind some reeds, hoping to not be noticed. Her abilities lied in strategy. The russet Russetkit had formed a tag-team with their brother, looking for their youngest sister.

"Alright. Reflectionkit, your turn," the mother purred, allowing Risingkit to scamper off and join her sisters as the grumbling brother stalked back, blue eyes narrowed. Three bigger, older kits galloped over, raucous cries provoking the younger kits to shy away from them.

"Ravagekit! Polarkit! Tigerkit! Get over here and stop scaring Mysteryflame's litter! You should know better than that," scolded a one-eyed amber she-cat. Thorneye, a former rogue, was raising her kits pure RiverClan so they would have the support of family around them always.

"Aww! But we're just playing!" The ginger and black she-cat, Tigerkit, whined, her amber eyes wide and pleading.

"Do they want to play with you?" Thorneye asked, single eye narrowed dangerously.

"I do!" Ripplekit squeaked, popping out from behind her reeds, prompting a 'so that's where she was' comment from Reflectionkit. The black and white Polarkit jumped as the green-eyed younger kit ended up next to her.

Thorneye twitched her tail. "And your littermates?"

Reflectionkit shrugged, while Risingkit and Russetkit looked uncomfortable with the other, older kits nearby.

"Well, looks like you're the only one, little sister!" The brown tom, Ravagekit, purred, flicking his tail over the small she-cat appreciatively.

"Just be careful," Mysteryflame mewed, licking Reflectionkit's head.

"I will! Come on, are you gonna show me the outside?" Ripplekit mewed, green optics wide.

"Uhhh…. Sure," Tigerkit replied, falling to the cuteness of pouty kit eyes.

"Yay!" Ripplekit squealed, chasing after the older three kits as fast as her legs could carry her- which was pretty fast, considering her size. Bursting out of the nursery with the older kits, she was awestruck. It was so big! She took a moment to get her bearings, then followed the three older kits to a den under a willow tree.

"This is the warrior's den," Tigerkit hissed, amber eyes sparkling. "We have to be quiet near here and the apprentice's den, which is under that rock over there, because they sleep during the day sometimes. The elder's den is in that reed clump, the medicine cat's den is in that cave, and that big rock over there is the Perch, where Stormstar's den is." Ripplekit nodded enthusiastically, taking in all the information the older kit was telling her. The other two had bounded off, already bored, to torment the two apprentices that were sharing a fish under a smaller willow. "And see those two that Polarkit and Ravagekit are bugging? The light grey one is Kinkedpaw and the white one is Shinepaw. And over there, the cream she-cat, that's the medicine cat apprentice Dawnheart. The grumpy-looking old tom is her mentor Thundercrash. And over there, the dark grey tom, that's Stormstar. He's talking to his mate, Blazingsky."

Ripplepaw's neck was sore from nodding so much, and Tigerkit began to stalk off, the younger kit following as a trio of cats came in the entrance. Ripplekit tapped Tigerkit's shoulder with her tail, and nodded to the three cats having just arrived. "Who are they, and why do they smell weird?"

"The dark grey tom is Strikinglightning, the black she-cat is Tornpelt, and the grey tom is Flamescar. They just came in from a patrol, so you're probably smelling ThunderClan and WindClan on them," Tigerkit explained.

"Oh. Nice," Ripplekit let loose a small purr as she felt a friendly gust of wind caress her fur. The breeze felt amazing, and the silver she-cat just wanted to run, so spotting her dad Sparkingtalon, she began sprinting over to him, legs stretching to full length as she purred loudly at him.

"Hey there rascal," the ginger-pawed tom purred, licking his daughter on the head. "First time out of the nursery?"

"Yep, everyone else is still hiding 'cause they're scaredy fish," Ripplekit mewed, pulling herself on his back.

"Wow. You're a brave little she-cat," Sparkingtalon purred, watching Tigerkit bound over.

"Great StarClan! Ripplekit, you're fast!" The ginger and black kit stood panting. The younger kit purred, accepting the compliment, watching her mom usher her siblings out of the nursery. For being the smallest, Ripplekit had the biggest bold streak of the litter.

"Hey! Look over there!" She heard Reflectionkit exclaim, and watched as the trio all run over to where stones stuck up out of the sheet of churning glass that was the River.

"Kits! You're not allowed on the stepping stones!" Ripplekit and Tigerkit looked over to a white she-cat with black-striped legs striding over to the misbehaving trio.

"That's Breezerunner," Tigerkit hissed, and Sparkingtalon gently picked up Ripplekit off his back and set her on the ground to pad over to his other kits. "Kinkedpaw's mentor."

"I wonder who your mentor'll be," Ripplekit mewed, looking around.

"I'm hoping for Tornpelt. She's a really good warrior," a faraway look came into the she-cat's amber eyes as Ripplekit purred.

"Ripplekit!" Risingkit yowled, and the silver kit looked up. "Come over here!" Shrugging, the silver she-cat waved her tail to Tigerkit, and bounded off to her littermates.

"What's going on?" Ripplekit asked, green eyes bright.

"Reflectionkit and Russetkit are going to try to cross the stepping stones tonight. I need you to help me talk them out of it," Risingkit hissed, glancing around.

"Why not just tell-"

"No! They would hate us," Risingkit pleaded. "You gotta help me talk them out of this!"

"Fine," Ripplekit hissed, shaking her head and padding over to her bigger littermates, tail twitching in irritation. "Russetkit! Reflectionkit!"

The two other kits whipped around to face Ripplekit, eyes wide. "What?" Russetkit hissed.

"Don't try to cross the stepping stones tonight. Just don't. Y'know, because if you do you might hurt yourselves and I don't want that," Ripplekit mewed, eyes big and pleading.

"Uhhh… Sorry… You have the wrong cats," Reflectionkit meowed, looking uncomfortable.

"Don't you dare cross those stones if you know what's good for you," Ripplekit snarled, switching tactics- narrowed eyes, arched back, spiked fur, and unsheathed claws.

"Even if we were planning on crossing the stepping stones, there's no way you could stop us. You're just too small," Russetkit sniffed.

"Oh yeah?" Ripplekit smirked.

"Yeah. So we're crossing the stepping stones and there's nothing you can do about it," Reflectionkit hissed.

"Oh really. SPARKINGTALON! REFLECTIONKIT AND RUSSETKIT ARE GOING TO CROSS THE STEPPING STONES TONIGHT AFTER EVERYONE'S ASLEEP!" Ripplekit yowled. She had a very strong pair of lungs, and the kits' dad was soon over, glaring at the two biggest kits.

"What's this I hear about you kits trying to cross the stepping stones while everyone's asleep?" Sparkingtalon questioned, one eye narrowed.

"Uh… Ripplekit's lying!" Russetkit whined, and Sparkingtalon turned his skeptic's eye to the smaller kit.

"Liar!" Ripplekit hissed at her russet sister, glaring.

"Am not!" The amber-eyed feline whined.

"Are too! " Ripplekit hissed back, taking an offensive stance.

"You're the liar!" Reflectionkit hissed, he himself baring his teeth.

"I am not!" Screeched the now pissed-off Ripplekit, launching herself at her brother, claws stretched as she aimed for his face. Reflectionkit dodged, spinning and attempting to pin his sister, but Sparkingtalon was faster, pulling the two scuffling kits apart. More RiverClanners had noticed the disturbance, and were coming to see what was going on. Russetkit, seeing her opening, sprinted towards the stepping stones, beginning to jump across them, claws outstretched for grip.

"Russetkit!" Mysteryflame screeched, but her russet daughter ignored the queen, continuing on. There was a larger gap between stones up ahead of her, and she readied for the leap as more warriors sprinted to get her. Ripplekit twisted her scruff out of her dad's jaws, foreseeing what was happening, and right on cue, Russetkit jumped the larger gap, claws outstretched…

…And missed. She dropped into the River like a stone, Ripplekit launching in and flailing after her sister. Her claws were nearly in her sister's scruff, and her silver-furred body was lined up to get wedged against a rock…

…But the rock came too soon. Ripplekit was brought to a jarring halt, Russetkit swept further down river, jaws open in fear as she went under then surfaced again, coughing out water. Blazingsky, having jumped in after her nieces, swam after Russetkit, but Russetkit went under…

…And didn't come back up, prompting Blazingsky to turn around and save the sobbing, soaked Ripplekit, dragging the protesting kit back to camp.

That night was the darkest night Mysteryflame ever saw. It was even darker than when Swiftrunner and hers sister died in a battle against SkyClan. Mockingcall was a strong warrior, and the entire Clan had mourned her death.

Now, Mysteryflame lost a kit and Swiftrunner her niece.

The pain was ten times worse.

**Enjoy. Again, 'It's always darkest before the dawn'**


	3. Chapter 2

"Dreams come a couple sizes too big so you can grow into them."

Reverend Run

"Aren't you three dorks happy?" Tigerpaw was busily flicking Reflectionkit's ear with her tail. "Today is your apprentice ceremony, then tomorrow is the Gathering! Come on! Just be excited about something for once!" Ripplekit sighed, and looked at Tigerpaw as her littermates stood up to join the apprentices.

"Sorry Ripplekit, but… well… Russetkit wouldn't have wanted us to be all mopey, would she?" Risingkit looked hopefully at her silver sister, who just shook her head as the wind danced around her body, teasing at her fur. Ripplekit just wanted to let loose and run but there wasn't enough space- she'd run out of room when she was just getting started.

"Yeah sis, love ya, but you're too boring," Reflectionkit, ever the eloquent, mewed and bounded over to where Ravagepaw was bugging Flamescar. The older tom just growled and stalked away in the cooler twilight. It was the very bitter end of Greenleaf, when the heat forced the cats into the water or into the shade. Ripplekit, however, found herself almost immune to the heat from the breezes that would play at her fur.

The silver she-cat just stood up, stalking away from her littermates and Tigerpaw to find herself by Flamescar. The scarred tom just grunted, not moving to make room as Ripplekit sat down next to him, enjoying the silence that flowed around him.

"Yeh're a quiet 'un, yeh. I think I might just take a likin' teh yeh. Yeh dun't babble on like theh otha' kitlings," Flamescar grunted, and Ripplekit just nodded.

"I like the quiet," she replied, green eyes wide.

"Silence is a virtyeh, girly. It's a good thing yeh enjoy it- it'll be yeh're best friend for a cat with theh wind in yeh're fur." Flamescar and Ripplekit sat in the quiet until Stormstar's call rang in the clearing.

"Let all cats old enough to swim, gather here beneath the Rain-rock for a Clan meeting!" The dark grey form of the RiverClan leader cut an imposing silhouette to all watching. Flamescar and Ripplekit left their relative peace and quiet, joining the mass of the Clan. Ripplekit chose to sit next to the surly tom, while her littermates goofed off with Tigerpaw, Ravagepaw, and Polarpaw. Risingkit stole a glance at her sister every once in a while, yellow eyes worried.

"Today is an amazing day. Today, we accept three young cats to begin their training to protect their Clan! Risingkit, Reflectionkit, Ripplekit, step forward. Risingkit, from now until you receive your warrior name you will be known as Risingpaw. Blazingsky, I hope you will pass on your quiet determination to your apprentice. Reflectionkit, from now until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Reflectionpaw. Kinkedtail, I hope you'll be able to teach him your ability to accept every cat for themselves. Ripplekit, from now until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Ripplepaw. Flamescar, I hope you will be able to teach her your undying loyalty for RiverClan," Stormstar's blue eyes blazed in a silent warning.

"Risingpaw! Reflectionpaw! Ripplepaw!" The Clan began chanting, as the two bigger of the three new apprentices bounded up to their mentors, begging them to show them the territory. Kinkedtail just smirked, and led Reflectionpaw towards Mossyrocks, while Blazingsky pulled Risingpaw over to the river. Flamescar padded up to Ripplepaw, and nudged her towards the camp exit, muttering something about getting it over with. The silver she-cat knew he was talking about the territory tour, so she turned around and stuck her tongue out at Reflectionpaw, a silly look on her face as Flamescar left the camp. He paused her just outside, and smirked at her.

"Let's see how well yeh can keep up with a warryehr like meh," he rumbled, before taking off, Ripplepaw following him, letting loose and just sprinting right behind him. Where her littermates and the older apprentices grew in girth and muscle, Ripplepaw grew in legs and wiry length. She was almost taller than Reflectionpaw, but still smaller than him in almost every other way.

The two silence-enjoying cats sped along, jumping rocks as they raced the River. Birds lifted into the sky, raucous cries causing more birds to lead into flight, some of them flying alongside the felines. Flamescar pulled them to a stop near where the river veered off from the gorge. Flamescar turned, leading Ripplepaw up the slope towards the peak of the ridge. Breathing hard, the smaller she-cat stopped by the scarred male, looking out across the Forest.

"Oh. Wow," was all that need to be said.

"Fourtrees," Flamescar growled, flicking his tail towards a hollow where four leafy trees scratched the sky. "The land with theh oaks is ThundehClan. The marsh and pines are ShadowClan. The moor next ta us is WindClan, and the river is owah bordah. That's pretteh much what yeh need ta know."

Ripplepaw nodded, strectching as tall as she could. She could see cats milling about in the clearing that was RiverClan camp, and she saw a pair of cats sprinting across the moor after a rabbit. Back in the camp, Stormstar and Dewfern were talking in low voices.

"I thought you were going to mentor Ripplepaw," Dewfen hissed, green eyes narrowed.

"I was watching her with Flamescar earlier. They bonded," Stormstar whispered back.

"Well, let's hope he doesn't ruin her apprenticeship like he did mine," Dewfern growled, stalking off.

"He won't," Stormstar muttered, looking out at his Clan with slitted blue eyes as Thudercrash padded up to him, ginger patches rippling.

"Stormstar. What's this I hear about changing your mind for who Ripplepaw's mentor is?" The medicine cat's amber eyes were narrowed dangerously.

"Like I told Dewfern, they bonded," Stormstar hissed back.

"And I told you that you needed to mentor her, or else our Clan would die out!" Thundercrash drew up to his full (admittedly impressive) height, eyes blazing. Stormstar drew himself up to his own full height, teeth bared.

"Thundercrash, I will not have you undermining my decisions. Flamescar will mentor Ripplepaw and that is my final word!" The leader's dark grey fur bristled as he unsheathed his claws.

"Very well. I will go collect herbs. I will not go down without a fight," Thundercrash growled, stalking off.

Stormstar shook himself, before settling back down on the ground. He couldn't shake the feeling of impending doom…

…While just outside of SkyClan territory, four kits tumbled in the shade while a green-eyed grey she-cat watched.

"Russet, tuck in your paws when you roll. Smudge, be faster on the strike. Mew and Tammy, work together. Russet and Smudge are bigger than you," the she-cat instructed.

"Feeern, when will Bracken and Aria and their kits be here? It'll be more fun with them!" The blue eyes of Smudge widened comically large as he pouted.

"Soon enough, now run through that again," Fern instructed as the four apprentice-age kits flew at each other once more.

A rustle sounded in the bushes as a ginger tabby tom stepped out. "Greetings, Fern. I see your own younglings are faring well."

"Incredibly well, my brother. Uran was a good mate… While he was alive," Fern said the last part wistfully, green eyes gaining a faraway look. "So how are your younglings this summer?"

"They are growing. Owl is the strongest, while Lyric has the speed of the cats of the moor and Storm is a happy medium." While they had been talking, a white-and-ginger she-cat had walked out of the bushes to join the chatting littermates. She was leading three younger kits, one a ginger tom with glowing yellow eyes, one a grey she-cat with icy blue eyes, and the last one a ginger-and-white she-cat with eyes the color of new leaf-buds.

"Aria!" Fern exclaimed, purring and rubbing against the other she-cat.

"Fern! It is good to see you well," the mother replied, nudging her own kits forward. "Owl, Storm, Lyric, go play with Fern's kits while the adults talk." The trio nodded and bounded over to where the training had digressed into a careless game of tag, with Tammy being It.

"So, how goes the plans?" Fern's voice is low, her head dipped close to Bracken and Aria.

"Well, we're working on locating all the cats who want to bring down the Clans, but it goes slowly. We are spread out too far, and I must spend lots of time with my kits. Not that I mind," Aria murmurs back, twitching an ear.

"Screech has been helping, and we've been scoping out a possible den together," her mate adds.

"How is our sister?" The gray rogue asks, green eyes brightening.

"Struggling. Losing her kits and mate in one fell swoop was hard on her," the ginger tom replies, voice becoming colder.

"The Clans will pay," Aria growls after her mate. They were all close to Screech, helping her out. In some ways, the non-Clanners were closer than the actual Clan cats.

**Whoooo. Yeah, I gotta work on getting the rest of dem chapters up. Merry late Christmas!**


End file.
